Updates and player feedback

A message on Discord

Monday morning, a message arrives in our Discord server, the online chat space where our players hang out: "Garden Defense freezes when I tap pause twice really fast!"

That is a bug report: a player telling us something is broken. It might sound like bad news, but it's useful. A player found a bug so we can fix it before more people hit it.

Where feedback comes from

• DiscordA #bug-reports channel on our server. Discord is for ages 13 and up (older in some countries), so a parent runs the server and you help with what we post.
• Store reviewsStars and comments on Google Play and the App Store.
• PlaytestsWatching real people play while staying quiet, like the studio did in Stage 3.

A great bug report says three things: what you did, what happened, and which device you used.

Triage: what to fix first

A busy hospital uses triage: treat the most serious cases first. Studios do the same with bugs, asking two questions: how bad is it, and how many players hit it?

• The game crashes or loses saves for many players: fix it now, in a quick update.
• A typo on the shop screen: fix it in the next normal update.

Every bug goes on a list, like GitHub Issues, so nothing gets forgotten.

Reply to reviews kindly

Both stores let developers reply to reviews. Other players read those replies, so even when a review is angry, the reply stays calm and says what we're doing about it. Never argue.

The store account belongs to an adult, because signing up means agreeing to a legal contract. So a parent posts from the studio account, and you can write the draft.

Version numbers

Every update gets a version number in three parts, a system called semantic versioning. Launch is 1.0.0.

• 1.0.1: a small fix, like the pause bug. The last number goes up.
• 1.1.0: new features, like a new pest. The middle number goes up.
• 2.0.0: a huge change. The first number goes up.

When a number goes up, the numbers after it go back to zero. Stores also need a separate build number that only goes up (Building and signing app releases, Stage 7).

Test, then write patch notes

Before an update goes out, we test it. Our automated tests (small programs that check the game still works) run on GitHub every time code changes. Then we play it on real phones, and our testers try it. A rushed fix can break something else.

Then we write patch notes, a friendly list of what changed:

Version 1.0.1: Fixed the pause button freezing. Sprig's hat no longer floats away.

A simple roadmap

• NowFix the pause bug (1.0.1).
• NextThe Halloween event and a new pest (1.1.0).
• LaterA level editor, maybe. Ideas wait here.

A roadmap is our plan for future updates. Sharing it on Discord shows players we're listening, and it keeps the whole team working toward the same goals. The Public roadmaps lesson shows how to share one without making promises we can't keep.